It’s another summer at your mom’s office, or serving coffee, or assisting with a summer school program. Your paychecks have been spent on anything from data plans to the Chinese buffet. In high school and college, you’re in the fantastic position of being able to make money, sometimes with a full-time job, without having to put that money toward rent, utility bills, credit card payments, or student loans. You might even have more money now to spend on whatever you want than you will when you graduate college! When you’re handed your paycheck this Friday, consider these tips on what you could do with that money!

Join a Professional Organization

Some jobs require you to be a member of a professional organization, but even if your future job isn’t like that, you may want to consider doing the research on one that could potentially benefit you anyway. Professional organizations are not only impressive on the resume, there are advantages that come with it. You may get discounts on products or classes. You may become eligible for a scholarship. You may be invited to conferences. You may be put in touch with your future boss. The cost of professional organization memberships are usually a once-a-year fee for anywhere between $50-$200.

Buy an External Hard Drive

At some point, you’re going to run out of space on your laptop. You’re going to be in the middle of a huge paper and your computer will suddenly resign itself from being your best friend all throughout college and become an expensive paper weight. There’s a chance that while moving out of your dorm room, your roommate will bump into your desk, knocking a bottle of water onto your key board and frying everything inside of it. In order to keep everything you’ve done on your computer safe, you need to invest time in backing it all up on a regular basis. An external hard drive with enough space to save all the papers you’ve written and your favorite TV shows can be found for under $100.

Professional Clothing

As you advance in your college career, you’ll find there are more occasions in which you’re required to dress up. Maybe you’re student teaching this year. Maybe you’d like to get a part-time job in your field as you finish up your senior year. You may be required to give formal presentations as you would for your future business. Spend a little money on making sure you have a suit coat that still fits, a dress that’s not too revealing, and a pair of shoes that you feel comfortable in.

Summer Fun

You can’t spend all of your money responsibly! Even if you’re the kind of person who started their savings account in elementary school, everyone needs to have a little money set aside for some fun. Check out this summer’s movies, take a trip to an amusement park, or throw a BBQ for a few of your closest friends. It’s summer, after all!